Feeding mechanism for filling machine



Feb. 2, 1965 T. E. MARION ETAL 3,163,216

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FILLING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FlG.l.

(G j, I 5 I 34 24 3B 3? INVENTORS THOM AS MARION RAYMOND MORSE ATTORNEY Feb. 2, 1965 MARION ETAL FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FILLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1962 vfIflf/fflIlII/If/fff/ff/ IIII llll Feb. 2, 1965 T. E. MARION ETAL FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FILLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 25, 1962 FIG.8.

FIG.9.

THOMAS MARION RAYMOND MORSE BY Ma 94W ATTORNEY 1965 T. E. MARION ETAL FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FILLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fileu June 25, 1962 zaw 2 E l w mm VI mm M S A M O H T RAYMOND MORS E ATTORNEY My. M

United States Patent 3 O 3,168,216 FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FILLING MACHINE Thomas E. Marion and Raymond L. Morse, Baitimore,

M(l., assignors to Universal Machine Co., Inc, Baitimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed June 25, 1962, Ser. No. 205,010 1 Claim. (Cl. 221-299) This invention relates to feeding devices and it is more particularly concerned with a feeding unit for attachment to an existing filling machine used for manufacturing a novelty confectionary product, the unit being especially adapted to a toy forming part of the product.

An object of the invention is the provision of a feeding device for the purpose indicated which can be removably secured to the filling machine as needed and operated by the power drive of the machine in synchronization with other operations of the filling machine.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a feeding device which is positive in operation, rugged in construction and easy to install and maintain in service.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a feeding device which is constantly connected to the source of power of the filling machine but which may nevertheless be controlled in a simple manner to arrest the feeding action and resume it as may be desired or required without disconnectting it from the power source.

These and still further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing to which reference is made in the description.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention attached to the filling machine, the filling machine being shown fragmentarily in section.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view from the right side of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a receptacle adapted to receive the toy with the toy disposed therein in functional position.

FIG. 6 is cross sectional view along the line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along the line 77 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view along the line 88 of FIG. 2 with the escapement carriage in one of its extreme positions.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 with the escapement carriage shifted to its opposite extreme position.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view along the line 1010 of FIG. 8 with parts broken away.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view along the line 11-11 of FIG. 9 with parts broken away.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a modified form of slideway.

Referring with more particularity to the drawing, the embodiment is illustrated therein in reference to a container filling machine 11 having a rotatably mounted horizontal loading wheel 12 provided with apertures 13 for receiving containers to be filled. The filling machine alone, however, forms no part of the instant invention.

The containers to be filled comprise a frusto-conical member 14 having an open top and open bottom and which is adapted to hold a T-shaped toy 15 of a plastic material having vertically spaced upper and lower flanges 16 and 17, a stem 18 projecting below the lower flange 17 and a statue 19 or other ornamental member on the upper flange 16. The container is also adapted to receive ICC a confectionary material such as ice cream (not shown) which completely submerges the statue 19 above the flange 16.

The general purpose of the present invention is to feed and dispense these toys from a supply station to the containers on the loading wheel prior to the inserting of the confectionary material therein by the filling machine.

A stationary wall 20 of the filling machine adjacent the wheel 12 is provided with a dovetail mounting lug 21 opposite the space between a consecutive pair of the apertures 13 when the loading wheel 12 is in its stationary or resting phase between intermittent rotational movements. The location of the lug 21 is in advance of the filling station (not shown) of the filling machine or of the initial filling station, if there is more than one, such 7 as where a plurality of confectionary materials are to be loaded into each container successively.

A block 22 comprises the base of the embodiment and it is provided with a mounting bracket at the rear side having a dovetail slot 23 complementary to the lug 21.

A foot bracket 24 slopes upwardly from the block 22 and has a vertical leg portion 25 at the bottom which is secured to the block by means of bolts 26.

A pair of inclined slideways are formed by pairs of laterally spaced bars 27, 28 and 29, 30 sloping parallel to the bracket 24 and supported thereon by two sets of straddling posts, namely, lower posts 31, 32 and 33, 34, respectively, and by corresponding upper posts 35, 36 and 37, 38 respectively. These posts are secured to the bracket 24 by bolts such as bolts 39 at the bottom and bolts 40 at the top. The bars are secured to the posts by pairs of cross rods 41, 42 and 43, 44 which are welded to the bars and posts as shown.

The upper end of the bracket 24 is braced to an upper part of the block by means of a horizontal bracing rod 45 extending from the block and secured to the bracket by bolts 46.

The block 22 has a vertical opening 47 directly above a pair of consecutive apertures 13 of the loading wheel 12. The opening 47 is formed by walls including a back wall 48 and an interior wall 49 converging downwardly. The lower ends of the slide bars 27, 28 and 29, 30 terminate above the opening 47.

In front of and parallel to the interior wall 49, a pair of vertically spaced horizontal bars 50, 51 are disposed. The ends of these bars are secured in apertures of the side walls 52 and 53 of the block 22 by bolts 54, 55 and 56, 57 threadedly engaging axial bores 58, 59 and 60, 61 in the ends of the bars.

The bars 50, 51 slidably support a carriage 62 which is adapted for reciprocation thereon between the walls 52 and 53. The carriage 62 comprises outer posts 63 and 64, respectively, and a median post 65 the upper ends of which comprise outwardly extending fingers and function cooperatively as escapement means for the toys 15 at the bottom of the slideways. Fingers 66 and 67 extend inwardly from the outer post 63 and median post 65, respec tively, in spaced relation to provide a transverse passageway having an inlet 68 and outlet 69 for the stems 18 of the toys. Fingers 70 and 71 extend inwardly from the outer post 64 and the median posts 65, respectively, in spaced relation to provide a passageway having an inlet 72 and outlet 73 for the stems of the toys on the other slideway.

In one extreme position of the carriage 62 the inlets 68 and 72 are aligned with the path of travel of the stems 18 of the toys projecting below the slideways, respectively (see FIG. 8), While in the other extreme position (see FIG. 9) the outlets 69 and 73 are aligned with the path of travel of the stems. The carriage 62 is reciprocated between these extreme positions by means of a 3 cam plate 74 secured to the carriage by bolts 75 in a position parallel to the path of reciprocation. The cam plate 74 is provided with a diagonal groove or slot 76 which is in slidable engagement with a roller 77 on the end of a vertically reciprocating arm '78. The arm 78 is fixed to a vertically reciprocating power shaft 79 of the filling machine which is synchronized by means not shown with the filling mechanism thereof. 7

In order to'arrest the feeding of the toys to the machine from the slideways selectively without interrupting the operation of the machine generally, an adjustable abutment is provided and it consists of fingers 81' and 82 projecting through apertures 83 and 84, respectively, of the bracket 24 in alignment with the paths of travel of the stems 18 of the toys on the slideways. The fingers 81 and '82 comprise the upper end of'a vertical plate 85 which is mounted for vertical slidable movement on the face of the vertical portion 25 and. held in slidable en.-

gagement therewith by means of bolts 86 and 87 in ver 'tical slots 88 and 89 of the plate, respectively. Springs 90 and 91 are disposed between the heads of'these bolts and pressure washers 92 and 93 to hold the plate in frictional engagement with the portion 25; The bottom of the plate 85 is provided with a flange 94 which functions as a finger grip to move the plateve'rtically by hand and to change the vertical positions of the fingers. 'In the upper position, the fingers block the passage of the toys while in the lower position they permit the toys to pass uninterruptedly to' the ends of the slideways.

In the modified form illustrated in FIG. 12 the slide bars are provided with grooves 95 and 96 facing each other for the purpose of receiving'the upperflanges of the toys as an alternative means of holding them on the slideway. These means have the advantage of preventin'g tilting and tipping of the toys as they slide down the slideway bars and thereby improve the function of the device.

Having thus described our invention, we claim: A device for feeding T-shaped articles having a'horizon- 'tal flange and a stem projecting therebelow between a supply station and a delivery station, said device comprising spaced parallel bars for slidably supporting the flanges of the articles with the stems thereof projecting below the bars, means supporting the bars in an inclined plane between the. stations to cause the articles carried thereby to slide from the supply station to' the delivery station under the force of gravity, a carriage disposed below the bars in the path of travel of-the stems of the articles, means for reciprocating said carriage transversely across said path between two extreme positions, said carriage having a transverse passageway therein for said stems, said carriage also having an inlet slot for the passageway 0n the side thereof facing the supply station aligned with the path of travel when the carriage is in one of its extreme positions of reciprocation and an outlet slot for the passageway on the side thereof facing the delivery station aligned with the path of travel when the carriage is in the opposite extreme position of reciprocation, an abutment member for blocking passage to the carriage of articles between the supply station and carriage in said path of travel, means for selectively positioning and holding the abutment member in and out of blocking position, the means for holding the abutment member in and out of blocking position comprising a plate member, said abutment member being carried by the plate member, a stationary member having a surface with which the plate member is in slidable contact for movement thereon parallel to the path of movement of the abutment member, and yieldable pressure means acting between the plate member and surface for frictionally engaging the plate member with the surface to support it in different relative positions, and the means for selectively positioning the abutment member comprising means for applying manual force to the plate member to move it over said surface against the force of the yieldable pressure means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 847,828 3/07 Sandleben 221-273 X 995,315 6/11 Baker 22 1-93 X 1,047,984 12/12v Phifer 221- 68 X 1,623,066 4/27 Nordstrom 221-293 X 1,734,752 11/29 Thomas g 221-293 X 1,845,651 2/32- Dickson 221- X 1,941,992 1/34 vMakenny. 2,502,227 3 5 .0 Makenny. 2,580,160 12/51 Doyle 221-293 2,735,096 2/ 5 6 Miller. 2,964,902 12/60 Carlton et a1 221-167 X 3,068,626. 12/62 Ianuzzi et al. 221-93 X 3,080,092 3/63 Zdanis 221-68 EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner. KENNETH N. LEIMER, RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiners. 

